


Enough

by Forestfire34720



Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-03-21 10:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13739370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forestfire34720/pseuds/Forestfire34720
Summary: Andy could feel it sometimes. Lurking beneath his skin. That anger, that boiling, sun-hot, pulsing fury that nestled beside his heart, sinking its claws deeper with each sneer as they shoved him into the lockers, each insult as they took and destroyed his stuff, each jeering remark as they shouldered him aside in the hallways. It was born from pain, from despair, from being dragged down again and again to that deepest pit from which it feels like there's no return, no recovery. And when that water was coursing down on him, mocking him, reminding him of every punch, every taunt, every humiliation... it exploded. He'd had enough.





	1. Prologue: The Path That Led To This

****It started when Andy was eleven. Just bordering on twelve, but still eleven.

It was the first day of middle school. He'd walked into school with cautious optimism, hoping that this was a fresh start. Lauren had left his side already, smiling and laughing as she caught up with her friends. That sudden feeling of loneliness and trepidation made him mad. He was in sixth grade! He didn't need his older sister hovering over him like some guardian angel! He could take care of himself!

A moment later, when a locker door slammed painfully into his back, with a kid standing over him, malice gleaming in his eyes, he realized how wrong he was.

* * *

 

The rest of the year was agony. His fresh start was gone, crushed to the ground under the heel of a sneering kid's boot (they were all wearing tennis shoes, actually, but that's beside the point). His tormentors seemed to be everywhere. In class, when the teacher wasn't looking, they chucked spitballs at the back of his head, stabbed him with their pencils, snatched his papers off his desk. When the teacher turned around, they sat back, watching her innocently, looking interested in the lesson when all they really wanted to do was continue their cruelty.

The hallway was no better; in fact, it was far worse. With no teachers to stop them, they would grab him by the shoulders and shove him against the wall. They would punch him in the face, the chest. The crueler ones even aimed their kicks for the sensitive areas.

No one came to his aid. No one wanted to be his friend, or even acquaintance. No one wanted to even be associated with him, because that painted a target on their back. The hallway would clear as he walked through, kids hurrying to avoid him, avoid his eyes.

An anger grew. Why him? He knew the answer. He was the perfect target: Slim, rather weak, with no friends or anyone to back him up. The nobody.

Every day, he'd drag himself home, broken and nursing new bruises, new pains. He saw Lauren around occasionally; once or twice, she even stopped them. It was nice and relieving when she did, but the next day, they always came back with a vengeance. The beating he received then was worse than ever.

Andy began to purposely avoid the hallways that he knew his sister would be in. He didn't need her help; all it led to was more pain. He knew she told their parents. They sat down and talked to him, offering their love and support. He smiled through the pain and told them that they didn't need to worry. He could take care of this. He'd be fine.

They were worried, but they accepted it. So the next day, Andy went back to school. The routine continued. He knew that fighting led to nowhere but trouble for him.

He pulled Lauren aside soon after, asked her to stay quiet. He promised he was planning something. He would get them back. He wouldn't stay oppressed forever. She offered her help, determined to stop them. He said no. He didn't need his sister's help; that would just make him look pathetic. More than that, he could see the fear in her eyes. She wanted to help her brother. But doing so would make her a target. They would go after her and her friends. So he turned her down and kept her out of it. Despite her sincerity, he could see the guilty relief when he said that.

Sitting at the dinner table, whenever the siblings' eyes met, he could see the concern evident in her gaze, and guilt churned in his stomach. But that guilt wasn't bravery, and the courage he needed to face his tormentors just wasn't there.

* * *

 

It was even worse in seventh grade. There was no one there to hold them back anymore. Lauren was a high schooler now, and he was still stuck with the middle schoolers. Sometimes he would be late for class, because they blocked his way, and occasionally, he even missed his classes. His grades slipped, just a little, but it wasn't enough for his parents to intervene. That year was the hardest.

Too often, it felt less like a place of learning and more like a battlefield. Andy was locked in a war that he had no hope of winning, where his enemies held all the cards and then some. The hallways were a minefield. He stepped around the danger that was the other kids, specifically the bullies, always trying to find those safe spots with the teachers so that he could lay back and rest.

His legs got blown off a lot.

But like a soldier, Andy gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain. He had learned his lesson in sixth grade. This was his burden to bear, and no one was stepping up to help anyways. So he stopped reaching out, and instead retreated inside himself. It didn't help much, but at least it did something. He held onto what he could, stabilizing himself with the good part of reality, focusing on his family, on the few good things in his life.

Sometimes, though, the stories on his back, written in blue and black ink, felt stronger and more real than reality.

* * *

 

After an easier year of eighth grade (he was in the top grade, and the bullies were mostly all older than him), he went into high school with dread, a stark contrast to how he started his middle school years. He expected the worst, and he received worse. The teachers in middle school at least tried to stop them, albeit half-heartedly. These teachers didn't even seem to care.

Once again, he avoided Lauren, did his best to keep her impartial. She was popular enough, and Andy wasn't going to be the one who came in and screwed it up for her. What she didn't know didn't hurt her.

What she didn't know did hurt him.

Their taunts were etched into his skin, written in bruises inflicted by their merciless fists. Andy began, for the first time, deliberately skipping school, desperate to find some way to avoid them. His grades dropped drastically. His parents sat him down and asked about it. He lied, but was pretty sure he did a terrible job with it. This endless barrage was wearing him down, knocking his hastily constructed walls to the ground.

At least he had finally made a friend, though it was a cautious one, and they rarely interacted at school. Ian was cool, but afraid, just like him, and did his best to keep out of the spotlight.

That blazing anger inside him grew each time they passed silently beside each other in the halls, but he suppressed it. It wasn't his fault. It was because of them. And all he wanted was for them to leave him alone.

So why did he go to the dance? Why did he want to go? They would be there, he knew they would. So why?

Honestly, Andy wasn't sure. Part of it, he thought, was the crushing loneliness. He hid it away, but it still was there. It was also maybe because his parents kept giving him these concerned, gentle looks. Maybe it should have been comforting that they cared, but all it did was infuriate him. He wasn't a fragile baby!

Part of it was that in one way or another, he had always felt cooped up and restrained. This was his way of shouting to the world, "I am not a prisoner! I am my own person, and I am free to do what I want!"

He wasn't, but he convinced himself that he was.

So he lied about being tired and going to bed, and slipped into the car to wait for Lauren.

He heard the door open, and swallowed nervously. His fingers raked through his hair, a mostly useless attempt to quell his nervousness. It gave the appearance that he wasn't afraid, though. He kept his eyes focused out the window, to stop her from seeing the fear in his eyes. If she saw it, she'd never say yes.

"Yo."

Lauren started.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Feeling in control again, Andy looked over at her. "I snuck out," he answered. "I thought I'd go with you."

"Didn't you tell Mom you were going to bed?"

"Yeah... that's why they call it sneaking. Can we go?" Andy said the last part fast, his tension speeding up his words.

"You can't," Lauren protested. "What if she finds out?"

"If I get caught, I'll tell her I was going down to Ian's," replied Andy. "You won't get in trouble." Seeing her reluctance still, he added, "When was the last time I got to go out on a weekend?"

She hesitated, and he pressed, "Its like I'm a... one-one of those baby cows they keep in the crates."

"Veal?" Lauren offered, sounding a bit dubious.

"Yeah. I'm being raised like a veal."

She paused. "You really want to go to a dance? After everything that's been going on at school?"

"You mean my fan club?" Andy sighed. "Yeah, whatever. I'm used to them."

Lauren stared at him for a moment longer, then groaned. "Buckle up," she ordered.

Andy smiled, forcing one past his dread at potentially seeing them.

* * *

 

They were saying things. Laughing at him. At his misery. The hot water was pouring down his back, and Andy was writhing, trying to break free of his captors. He was screaming for help, and they sneered at him. The water was burning his skin, and then he could feel it.

Andy had felt it before, lurking beneath his skin. That anger, that boiling, sun-hot, pulsing fury that nestled beside his heart. It's claws sank deeper and deeper with each sneer as they shoved him into the lockers, each insult as they took and destroyed his stuff, each jeering remark as they shouldered him aside in the hallways. It was rising in him, awakened by the fear and panic, and he felt a new sensation. His anger exploded.

The ground was rumbling. The tiles cracking. They let go of his arms, but he didn't register it. The building shook. They backed away, but he was no longer paying attention. All he could feel was the despair, the helplessness, the anger.

He yelled, a raw primal sound. The faucets bent, the lights sparked and broke. The walls, the ceiling, everything shuddered from the force of his emotions, running wild with this new sensation coursing through him. He couldn't stop. It was swamping him. It had been born from pain, from despair, from being dragged down again and again to that deepest pit from which it feels like there's no return, no recovery. Now it felt like he was drowning. That water was coursing down on him still, mocking him, reminding him of every punch, every taunt, every humiliation...

He'd had enough.

 


	2. We Can Run. Can We Hide?

_**SEASON ONE** _

_**EPISODE ONE: eXposed** _

* * *

 

Someone was screaming at him.

It was them. They were back. Back to continue their cruelty. But their words made no sense. Not that much did at the moment, but still. A part of him registered that it wasn't them; that part was promptly overridden by the irrational side of his brain. All he was feeling was danger and fear, and that danger and fear was fueling this new power inside him.

Words echoed inside his head, and he cringed, curling upon himself in an attempt to block out the words. Laughter rang in his ears, a thousand taunts playing on repeat in his head.

_"Worthless!"_

_"Freak!"_

_"You like that? Huh?"_

_"No one's coming to help you, freak!"_

_"Aw, who's a little crybaby?"_

_"You're nothing, freak!"_

_"Nothing!"_

"Andy! Andy, it's me! Andy! Look at me!"

Someone grabbed him and turned his head toward them. He resisted at first, then his yelling faltered as he slowly took in the face before him. He blinked, dazed and confused. The rush of destruction pulsing from his body ceased. He stared at the familiar face before him like it was a ghost: Lauren, looking at him with an expression of deep concern, fright for him written across her face.

"It's me. It's me."

"Lauren," he gasped, his senses slowly returning. "Lauren."

"It's me," she answered, relief filling her eyes. "Let's go!" She began to pull him to his feet.

"Lauren, I'm-I'm sorry," he stammered.

"Come on!" she replied, helping to stagger along.

"Lauren," he said again. He gasped as he tripped, his foot catching on an upraised part of the floor.

One of the bullies, the ringleader, Trevor, he was crumpled on the ground as they passed. He looked up and met Andy's eyes, his own wide and full of a new emotion— _fear_. He was scared of Andy, of what he could do. Of what he had just done.

That look made Andy afraid too. He tore his gaze away, his breath shuddering, and stumbled forward, Lauren's hand clutching his bicep as she guided his footsteps.

The gym was empty as Lauren pushed open the locker room door. The trembles running through the ground, air, and building had stopped, but debris was strewn everywhere, a testament to the explosion of power that had taken place not even a minute before. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder and louder with every passing second.

"Come on." Lauren led him outside, pushing through the crowd of people. They muttered among themselves as the siblings passed, and a few turned to stare at them—those who did fearfully stepped away from them, cringing back as if they expected mutant powers to go like a bomb any second. Andy ducked his head and forged ahead, hunching his shoulders in an effort to disappear. He did his best to ignore everyone else.

"Not taking the car?" he asked in surprise when Lauren walked straight past it.

"Cops would stop us," she explained.

The two found the edge of the crowd and slipped out. Lauren began to lead her brother home. The cold night air chilled his skin, and he shoved his hands into his pockets, pulling his hood up. It helped block the cold and obscure his identity at the same time.

The siblings walked silently down the streets, their footsteps quick and hurried. At some point, Lauren's grip had shifted; her arm was slung around his shoulders now. Andy's thoughts whirled. What was going to happen now? He blew up a gym; Sentinel Services would be after him. And with that thought came another, like a jolt of lightning. Would his father side with them too? Would he turn against him?

Would Andy just become another mutant for him to prosecute?

The very idea chilled him, cutting him to the bone. He swallowed and forced it back. No, his dad would help him.

...Right?

Andy forced those doubts to a dark, dusty corner of his mind and sealed them away as best as he could.

Another two blocks went by before they crept back out.

"Lauren..." Andy began slowly and hesitantly, finally mustering up the courage to speak. He didn't look his sister in the eye as he spoke, but could sense her looking at him. "I-I'm sorry, I..."

"It's okay, Andy," Lauren said. Her arm tightened reassuringly around his shoulders. "It'll all be alright."

"How can it? I'm a..." he paused, then forced himself to say it, "I'm a mutant."

"Yes," said Lauren simply. He exhaled loudly.

"What... what am I going to do?" he asked quietly.

" _We're_ going home," she answered, pointedly emphasizing the first word. A wave of gratitude swept over Andy, but dissipated quickly.

"And then?"

Lauren hesitated before answering. "We'll talk to Mom and Dad. They'll know what to do."

Andy turned his head to look at her. He didn't want to be the Devil's Advocate, but... well, they had to address this. "What if..." He faltered. He licked his lips and tried again. His voice trembled as he spoke. "What if they aren't on our side?"

"They will be," Lauren asserted, but he could hear the doubt lurking behind her words.

"And if they don't?" Andy pressed.

A long pause followed. Lauren seemed lost for words, so they walked silently for a block. Andy could feel the hopelessness mounting, and it only grew when she finally responded.

"I don't know."

With that depressing answer in the fore of their minds, they walked the rest of the way home.

* * *

 

Standing on the porch of their house, Andy's fist raised in the air to knock, he faltered. His doubts all clamored inside his head, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was about to walk into a trap. Should they just leave? If this was going to be their one chance to escape Sentinel Services, should they take it. He hated those thoughts, but they still plagued him, and he couldn't ignore the plausibility behind them.

Before he could make a decision, Lauren leaned forward and rapped her knuckles against the door. Andy's arm dropped, and he glanced, slightly fearfully, at his sister. She smiled reassuringly at him.

"It'll be fine," she said.

Andy swallowed, nodded, and composed his face. The door opened.

"Lauren!" Their mom's brow furrowed as her gaze flicked between to two of them. "Andy? I thought you were in bed. And I would've thought you'd still be at the dance, Lauren."

"I..." Andy's voice trailed away, and his mask cracked. Caitlin's face filled with concern at his broken-sounding voice, and she glanced at Lauren for an explanation, even as she wrapped him up in a hug.

"Mom..." Lauren said, taking a deep breath. "We need to talk."

Caitlin stared at the two of them in worry, but nodded regardless. She stepped aside to let the older sibling in, then guided Andy gently to the kitchen. Andy hopped onto the counter and sat there, hunched forward and trying to compose himself. His emotions were still raw from his ordeal, and hearing Lauren retell it didn't make it any easier on him.

"Did something happen at the dance?" asked Caitlin.

Lauren explained how Andy had snuck out, and while that had earned him a disapproving look, Caitlin didn't interrupt her daughter. "...And then we left," Lauren finished. "We came straight home afterwards." She chose to leave out their doubts about Caitlin and Reed, which was probably for the better.

Caitlin had started pacing during the story, shaking her head occasionally in disbelief. She looked at Andy too, and there was something in her eyes when she did, like she didn't know him. He wasn't all that surprised; he'd probably react the same way if someone he was close to was suddenly revealed to be a mutant. He looked down at his lap, fiddling with his hands to distract himself, the lump in his throat growing bigger.

Caitlin was quiet for a long minute, turning this new life-changing information in her head.

"Andy?" she asked finally, seeming unwilling to believe it. "It's... this is all..."

Andy nodded. "They were bullying me," he confirmed, his voice choked up. "It started happening. I couldn't stop it. I was just so angry."

"Oh, Andy, I... I mean, I-I can't believe you di-you didn't feel anything? I just can't believe there wasn't any warning." Andy bowed his head.

"Mom, accept it," Lauren interjected, "Andy is a mutant. That's how mutant abilities first appear-it's moments of stress, or danger. Dad talks about this all the time."

"Lauren, I... we-we all know about your father's work. I-I just don't see how that suddenly makes you an expert."

"Mom, I know because..." Lauren trailed off for a moment, then took a deep breath. "How do you think we got out of that gym?"

"What are you saying?" Caitlin asked, staring at her.

" _I_ got us out." There was a long moment of silence, as her brother and mother processed what she said, what she was implying.

"You, too?" whispered Caitlin.

Andy's head rose, and he looked at Lauren with a shocked expression. Suddenly, strange things that had happened over the years seemed clear to him. Lauren was a mutant.

"Remember when we were coming back from that concert at church," Lauren said softly, "and the truck almost hit us?"

Andy flinched a little as he remembered the honking horn, the headlights moving towards them before suddenly swerving away.

Lauren continued, "For weeks, you were saying it was a miracle we didn't die. Mom... it wasn't a miracle."

"That was three years ago," Caitlin said faintly. "Honey, why... why didn't you tell me?"

Andy was staring at his sister. She'd had powers for three years, and none of them had known? None of them had even suspected? How...? He shook his head as he recalled the one incident at the park. That must have been related to her powers. Maybe his too, though Andy couldn't fathom how they were connected.

"Don't you think I tried?" Lauren's voice had a desperate edge to it now.

"You can always talk to me," their mom said, stepping closer. "Always. Your-your dad too. Whatever your issues." For a moment, the stress on Andy felt like it was lifted from his shoulders.

"Are you serious? Dad puts people like us in jail." Lauren shook her head.

All at once, Andy's worries came rushing back. Their mom seemed to be on their side... would their dad be too?

"No, no, no, he prosecutes criminals," protested Caitlin. "He-he, he's not against... mutants. It's-its just the ones who hurt people."

The words felt barbed to Andy, after what had just went down at the dance, and they hit him like an arrow to the chest. He inhaled and didn't look up as he said brokenly, "You mean the ones like me."

Caitlin looked at him, and Andy briefly met her gaze before dropping his eyes again. She opened her mouth, looking for an answer to that. Each moment that passed, another arrow came hurtling in and piercing his heart.

The doorbell rang. All three of them turned to look in the general direction of the front door. Heavy knocking followed the ring, as the doorbell wasn't enough to alert the occupants.

"Oh." Caitlin wiped tears from her eyes, that had sprung there without her noticing. "I'll get it."

"Come here," Lauren said quietly to Andy, grabbing his arm and pulling him around the counter. She stood defensively in front of him.

"Just stay here," Caitlin instructed, and hurried off.

A few moments passed, and then their mom and whoever was at the door started talking. Andy couldn't hear all of it, but he caught a few pieces, including "Sentinel Services," "Andrew and Lauren," and "incident." His heart sank, and fear rushed through him. There were here to arrest him, bring him into custody! He trembled slightly behind his sister.

"No, this is my home!" Caitlin's raised voice reached clearly to the two siblings. "You can't just come in here!" She cried out, and immediately Andy pushed past Lauren and turned the corner. Caitlin was lying on the ground. Lauren rushed after her brother, taking a stance just behind him.

"Get away from my mom!" Andy yelled, his fear momentarily forgotten in the wake of his anger.

Caitlin sat up, looking between the two pairs, one of agents and the other of siblings.

"Okay," one of the agents said with a nervous chuckle. He was tall, dark-skinned, and bald. He was also the one who had been talking to Caitlin. Andy glared at him, shoulders heaving as he tried to keep from losing control for the second time this night. "Andrew, Lauren, listen to me. You need to calm down. You're gonna have to come with us. All right? We just have a few questions." His anger was growing as he heard their lies. He was the son of a prosecutor, he knew that the "few questions' meant they were going to be detained, sent off to prison. He could feel his power seeping out the cracks of the barricade, and the objects around them started to shake.

Caitlin shook her head, and the agent nodded in return, as if to reassure them that he was telling the truth. His fury surged.

"Get out of our house _now!_ " Andy shouted. On the last word, it was like a blast had emanated outwards; the whole house shook in reply. The vibrations ran through the floor and walls, and vases and other decorations jumped, some falling down onto the ground. Everything around them rumbled.

"Run!" Lauren shrieked, throwing an arm forward like a shield. Instantly, a bubble-like wall formed in front of the two agents, cutting them off from the family. "Go, go, go!"

Caitlin scrambled up from the floor, and the three fled to the garage. Caitlin slammed the door leading to the garage shut.

"Go!" Like he needed to be told. The anger was slipping away now, replaced by very appropriate fear. They had just resisted arrest from Sentinel Services. Cold fear trickled down Andy's spine as he yanked the car door open and climbed in. Lauren slid into the back. Caitlin entered from the driver's side and fumbled frantically through her purse in search of the keys. She yanked them out and stabbed them into the ignition, then opened the garage door.

There was a heavy pounding on the door from the house.

"Mom, they're coming!" Lauren cried.

They looked toward the source of the pounding. Then a gunshot rang out from behind, along with a spiderweb of cracks in the back windshield. They all screamed in terror, ducking down.

"Andy, what you did before—do it!" Lauren yelled.

Andy turned in his seat, his breaths coming in short and quick. "Ok." He extended his hands, reaching for that burning core inside him—and felt nothing. He grunted, trying to reach deeper, but there was nothing. He could sense it, but couldn't harness it. More gunshots fired from Sentinel Services agents outside the house.

"I can't! It's not working!" he said desperately.

Lauren thrust her arm forward again, and again that bubble-shield appeared, blocking further bullets. "Drive!"

Caitlin thrust the car into reverse, and if careened out of the garage. Agents dived out of the way as it flew out, its back end crashing into two of their cars. Tires screeched as the older woman spun the wheel and set the car racing away.

"Andy, Lauren, you both okay?" she asked fearfully.

"Yeah," they answered, though Andy seriously doubted "okay" was the right word to describe any of them after their ordeal.

All of them were as tense as a loaded spring for the first couple of miles. None of them could get over the fact that they had been firing bullets at them, and the sheer terror that came from their narrow escape. Andy leaned back against the headrest and tried to focus on controlling his breathing, though it only started to return to normal after the one mile mark. First the explosive reveal at the gym, and now this.

"What now?" he finally ventured. Caitlin's eyes had been locked on the road, looked at him briefly.

"I... I'm not sure," she admitted. She glanced at the gas meter. "At some point we'll need to stop for gas, and we need to tell your dad about what happened."

Andy nodded. "Is he... he'll be on our side, right?" He cursed the note of uncertainty in his voice, but he couldn't help it.

Caitlin nodded, though her son noted that it was after a moment of hesitation. "I-I'm sure he will," she said, with confidence that belied her previous pause. His reassurance bolstered Andy's spirits, if only by a little.

"I'll explain it to him," Caitlin said. "Your dad loves you, loves us. He won't turn us in to Sentinel Services."

Andy slumped back against his seat and wished he could be so sure.

 


	3. Looks Like We Can, But at a Price

A few hours later, they pulled into a gas station. The station's lights were startlingly bright against the backdrop of the dark black sky. Caitlin pulled in the side.

"Stay here," she told the siblings, before getting out and heading to the pay phone to call their father.

Andy looked down at his lap while he waited. His hands clenched into fists when he thought about what happened to lead to this. He closed his eyes and tried to wrench his thoughts away, though with little luck. What else was there to them about, after all?

"What do you think happens now?" Lauren asked.

Andy glanced up at her and shrugged uncertainly. It was a good question. What would they do now? They were now legally criminals, publicly outed as mutants, and being hunted down by Sentinel Services. Where could they go? Would their parents' accounts be frozen? Where would they get money? Andy seized the distraction from the night's events, mulling over the questions.

"We're going to meet your father at a diner, outside Atlanta," Caitlin announced, opening the door and entering the car again.

"We are?" Andy asked, looking up. Then, to draw attention away from the fact that he sounded so dubious and surprised, he quickly added, "How long, d'you think?"

Caitlin considered it. "A couple hours," she finally replied. She gave them a reassuring but noticeably strained smile. "Don't worry, kids. It'll be alright."

They hit the road again. As minutes passed in silence, Andy slumped back against the seat, his body relaxing, as he felt his eyelids drooping down farther and farther. It had been a long night. His body was exhausted after the dance, the wall home, and the terrifying ordeal of being shot at by the cops. He welcomed the darkness of sleep; it meant that he would stop thinking about all that had transpired.

"What are we going to do, after?" Lauren asked, breaking the silence. Andy opened his eyes, looking at her blearily. He focused his ears as, after a long moment, Caitlin spoke.

"We'll talk about that with your dad," she answered at last. "Right now, let's just focus on getting to the diner."

Andy closed his eyes again, his head resting on the window, as she added, "And get some sleep. You could probably use it."

If Lauren said something back, Andy was already too far into the land of dreams to notice.

* * *

 The diner parking lot was mostly devoid of cars when they pulled in, early the next morning. The trip ended up taking a good deal longer than Caitlin had predicted, since they had to use side routes and out-of-the-way roads to evade anybody looking for them. Andy let out a large yawn as his mom turned the car off, stretching and rolling his shoulders in his seat. He'd slept soundly enough, his dreams thankfully choosing to take the night off, for the most part. A faint feeling lingered that made him fairly certain he'd dreamt, but Andy had little recollection of it. So he shrugged it off and turned his attention toward the diner.

Reed hadn't arrived yet, so they headed in. There were dark bags under Caitlin's eyes, and she swayed a little on her feet as she walked. Andy and Lauren both quickly got to either side and walked in with her.

"Sit down, Mom," Andy insisted, leading her to a seat.

Caitlin complied with nary a protest, settling in with a quiet sigh. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table.

"I need a coffee," she muttered to herself.

"I'll get it," Lauren offered, standing and pulling out some money.

As his older sister walked off, Andy joined his mom in the booth, who shifted over to make room. They sat there in silence, waiting for Lauren to come back.

"Thanks honey," Caitlin said tiredly when Lauren returned. She picked up the coffee cup and took a few tentative sips, sighing deeply.

"You should get some rest, Mom," Andy suggested.

"You haven't gotten any sleep," agreed Lauren. "Rest your eyes while we wait for Dad."

She hesitated, clearly uncertain about whether it would be wise. "We're safe enough here," Andy said. "No one knows where we are. You were up all night. You need sleep."

"We'll wake you if there's any trouble," Lauren put in.

Caitlin didn't need much more convincing than that. "Alright," she submitted reluctantly, taking another sip of coffee. "Just wake me up when your dad gets here."

"We will," promised Lauren.

Hesitantly, she put her head down and soon was fast asleep. Andy leaned over and carefully scooted her cup away from the table edge, in case she moved and knocked it down.

The siblings sat in silence; Lauren fiddled with her hands, while Andy crossed his arms tightly across his chest. He didn't know what to say. Neither of them did.

"Andy," Lauren said, some time later. He looked up, and she pointed out the window, where a familiar car was pulling into the parking lot.

Andy leaned across the table and gently shook his mother awake. She raised her head, peering at him blearily. Her gaze sharpened after a moment, remembering the past events, and she sat up, rolling her shoulders and stretching.

The bell at the door rang.

"Caitlin?" Reed said, entering. He found them quickly, and a look of relief spread across his face. "Caitlin, Lauren, Andy."

Reed strode over and hugged the three of them. The tension in Andy seeped away in his dad's warm embrace. He returned the gesture tightly, glad beyond words that he was here.

"What happened?" Reed asked, urgently, pulling back and looking them in the eyes.

Andy bit his lip and looked down. He swallowed, trying to find words and failing.

"You should sit down, Dad," Lauren suggested. He nodded and took her suggestion, the rest of the family joining him in the booth. Clasping his hands in front of him, Reed leaned forward.

"What happened?" he repeated, gaze traveling between the three of them. There was a moment of silence, as they tried to decide who should start.

"You know the dance going on at the gym?" Lauren finally began. Reed nodded. "Well, Andy wanted to come along..."

Andy's jaw tightened as she recounted the events at the gym. He could still easily feel that blaze of anger that sparked his power for the first time - whatever it was - and hearing about it mad his gut clench in anger toward the bullies. At the same time, shame broke over him, dousing the flame. Here he had been, judging mutants for being dangerous, wild, and uncontrollable, and Andy had gone and blown up a gym.

His sister then moved onto returning home. How Caitlin had reacted. The Sentinel Services agents coming to detain them. Their escape. Evading their pursuers. Caitlin jumped in at a few points, providing details that Lauren forgot, but for the most part, she let her daughter do the talking.

"...And then we came here," finished Lauren at last. "And waited for you."

Reed silently digested the information, his jaw working as he tried to find words. During the explanation, Andy had buried his head in his arms; now his throat felt tight as he waited. Caitlin's hand found his under the table, offering a comforting squeeze.

He accepted it gratefully, staring down at the shiny tabletop, not willing to meet his father's gaze, yesterday's events crashing over him yet again. Even though now time had passed, letting him to sort through everything, nothing felt any clearer, even with Lauren and Caitlin already having recounted everything they knew. The shock and anger were the only things that remained distinct in his memory; everything else was a confused blur. He squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for his dad's verdict.

"...The important thing is, everyone's alright," Reed said at last, to the family's relief. He paused, then looked at Andy, asking gently, "Andy… was anyone actually hurt?"

"I don't know," Andy mumbled. "Okay? I-I don't remember it. It was just… it was all confusing."

"So to be clear," Reed clarified, "you didn't touch them before they touched - "

"Yes, Dad," Lauren interrupted softly, "they came after him." She glanced at Andy gently, who averted his eyes and resumed staring at his arms.

"And after they came after you - "

"This isn't a deposition, Reed." It was Caitlin who spoke this time.

"I am trying to understand the situation," he defended. Andy could hear the lawyer in him as he spoke. He was having trouble processing it as a father, so he was turning to his lawyer training as a way to understand. "Legally, if they-"

"I don't think it matters," said Caitlin. "The man from Sentinel Services said-"

"Wait, Sentinel Services?" Reed said in confusion. "You mean the police?"

"No. Sentinel Services." Caitlin shook her head. "They were just gonna take Lauren and Andy." Reed's brow furrowed, a look of shock filling his face. "You can't talk to Cal? He's the D.A. He could-"

"This is way beyond Cal's jurisdiction," he said. "Sentinel Services is a federal agency. The only reason you got away is they didn't have enough time to put a full team together." Caitlin inhaled sharply. "We, uh…" His voice dropped to an urgent whisper. "We have to go. Now."

Andy stared at him in disbelief. But… their stuff. They only had what was in the car, which was barely anything. And what about their life? They were just going to run, from a federal agency, no less?

"Um…" Caitlin struggled for words. "Okay, we-we could call Jenny."

"I am not talking about staying at your sister's condo in Phoenix for a few days," Reed insisted. Andy looked at his mom, not knowing what to think. They were really running away? "I mean, we have to go somewhere where the mutant laws are looser." Caitlin exchanged a shocked look with her children. "Like… Mexico, or…"

"Mexico?" Caitlin repeated, horrified. "Everything we own is at the house!"

"The last time Sentinel Services got involved with one of my cases," said Reed in a low, intense voice, "the suspect _disappeared_." Horror and fear crawled down Andy's spine. _Is… is that happening to us? To me?_ "I am not gonna let that happen to us. I'm gonna figure something out, I promise. There is nothing more important to me than my family."

Andy was reassured by his dad's words, but guilt churned in his stomach. They were in this situation because of him. Because of his powers. He and Caitlin leaned into each other, Andy holding tight, the simple touch bringing him comfort and reminding him that he still had his family, despite his mistake.

* * *

 Andy stared at the ceiling of the motel, with no idea what to do. Lauren was lounging nearby, fidgeting restlessly. Caitlin was asleep, finally recovering the sleep lost while they fled. Reed had left, saying that he needed to go take care of some things to get them out of the country.

Andy still hated the idea of leaving, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. They were on the run from the government. Moving to Mexico probably was the safest option. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"Come on, let's take a walk or something," Lauren finally said with a sigh, standing up and gesturing toward the door. "It's a good day."

Andy hesitated, but then shrugged, rose to his feet, and followed his sister out. It _was_ a good day, although the fresh air was soured by why they were there in the first place.

"I know this like, sucks," Lauren said as they walked, "but honestly, it's a relief to finally be able to talk to Mom and Dad about it."

"Guess all it took was me ruining our lives," Andy said.

"Andy," she scolded. "It wasn't your fault."

"If it wasn't for me," Andy replied bitterly, "we wouldn't even be here - I-I mean, I nearly got us killed, and then last night with the car, I could've actually helped, and I-I couldn't even do anything." He sighed, looking down and turning away.

"It gets better," Lauren said in reassurance. Andy shook his head disbelievingly; he didn't see what good could come out of him being a mutant, if what had happened was any indication. He got them into the mess, and he couldn't even help to get them out of it. She continued, "At first, it's like… it's like a sneeze - something that just happens. You have to work at it."

Andy was quiet for a couple moments, then asked, "What does it feel like when you…?" He motioned with his hand, unable to find a word to describe it.

"You know when you put your hand out of the window of a moving car?" He nodded. "You can feel the air and, like… guide it?"

"Yeah," he said.

"I can… push the air together," she explained. "With water, too, other stuff - it's just… harder. What about you?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I-I was just looking at those guys, and I just… wanted to push everything away, you know?"

"Well, I'd say you did a pretty good job of that," she joked. He looked at her, a small grin finding its way onto his face. "A-plus."

"First A-plus I've ever gotten," he replied, amused. They shared a laugh.

"Hey. Who taught you how to swim?" Andy looked back at her, blinking in confusion.

"You," he said.

"I can teach you this," she said confidently as they descended down the stairs. He smiled and followed her.

The two siblings approached a vending machine. "Watch," Lauren instructed. Andy smiled as she extended a hand. A moment later, a bag of microwave popcorn fell out of its slot, falling into the bottom area.

"Wha-dude!" he exclaimed, impressed.

She grinned at him, shrugging. "Now you try. Take it slow." He took her place in front of the vending machine, rolling his shoulders. "Focus… on how you felt. Okay?"

He nodded, closing his eyes. He tuned out the ambient noises, turning his attention to yesterday. He could feel his power uncurling inside as he did so. He reached for it, staying focused on the emotions present when it first emerged. There was a low rumbling. Lauren said something, but Andy barely heard her.

Fear. Anger. Helplessness. His breathing got quicker as he squeezed his eyes tighter, suddenly losing himself in the memories.

They were slamming him against a locker, dragging him across the floor, their taunts echoing in his ears. Their laughter was cruel, his struggles futile and useless. He could feel the scalding water soaking into his clothes and skin, held fast by them. The bully was in his face, mocking him, a vicious grin stretched his face, a sadistic look filling his eyes.

The vending machine exploded!

Andy's eyes snapped open, right as someone pulled him back, shielding his body. He sucked in a breath, back in the present. Lauren gasped sharply in pain, and he scrambled to his feet, his eyes widening and heart wrenching when he saw the blood dripping down her arm.

"Oh, my God," he whispered in horror. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay!" Lauren gasped.

"I'm sorry!" he repeated desperately. He stared at what had been the vending machine, dread settling over him. At the same time, he felt strong, powerful. _He_ had done this. He pushed that feeling away.

"It's okay," Lauren said again. "We got to go. We got to go! Go!"

Lauren started pulling him away. Andy quickly snatched a snack before following.

* * *

"I got us a meeting," Reed said as he entered the room. He stopped, staring at Lauren's wrist, now wrapped and bandaged. "What happened?"

"A vending machine," she replied.

"What?"

"Nothing important," she dismissed, waving it away. "It's just a small cut."

"A meeting with who?" Andy asked before Reed could speak.

"A guy at this underground mutant organization," Reed said, turning his attention to his son. "He can help us get out of the country, to Mexico."

"How long will that take?" Caitlin asked.

"The meeting is tomorrow," he said. "That's all I know, I'm afraid. He didn't say anything about how long it will take. Until then, we're stuck in here.

Andy sighed. Before, he would've celebrated getting to stay home all day. But this wasn't home, and there wasn't anything to do here. He glanced at Lauren. And with what he'd done to the vending machine, there was no way he was going be practicing his powers. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

 "Kids. Kids, get up." Andy jerked into sudden wakefulness at his mom's frantic tone.

"Mom, what's-what's happening?" he asked in bewilderment, sitting up.

"We got to get out of here," Reed explained quickly. "Get your stuff."

"Let's go," Caitlin said.

The family gathered their meager belongings and hurried out into the open. Andy had no idea what was going on - had they been found? They must've been, or else his parents wouldn't be so frantic.

"Gonna have to move quickly," Reed said as they hurried down to the ground.

"Where are we going?" Andy asked him, panicked.

"We got to stay out of sight," he continued.

"With that thing in the air?" Caitlin asked. _What thing?_ Andy turned to look and saw some machine soaring in the sky. He gaped at it openly.

"In a moment they're gonna find the car," said Reed. "We have to get out of here."

"Mom. Dad." They turned their attention to Lauren. "The truck."

She ran past them, heading for a truck where a man was loading garbage bags into it.

"Lauren, wait!" Reed called after her.

As they caught up, she formed a shield, blocking the garbage man from returning to the truck. "Whoa," he said, looking at it in surprise. Keeping the barrier up, Lauren pulled open the door and climbed in. Reed caught up and stared as Andy moved around to the other side and hopped in as well.

"Dad. Dad, we got to go!"

Reed quickly entered in the driver's side, pulling away from the man. Andy buckled himself in, hands trembling. As much as he'd dreamed of being a superhero as a kid, he now knew that those fast, frantic getaways on TV and in movies were nowhere near fun. He swallowed, fear making his throat dry, as the family pulled away from the motel.

"What happened?" he asked. "Why did we leave?"

"Sentinel Services drones," Caitlin said, twisting in her seat. "They knew the car."

"Oh." Andy looked down at his hands, trying to will them to stop shaking.

"Why don't you try to get some more sleep?" his mom suggested, her calm tone clearly forced. "That wasn't a nice way to wake up."

"Okay," he said quietly, leaning back. Andy knew he wasn't going to fall back asleep though, not after that.

His parents talked softly in the front, and Lauren sat without talking, staring out the window. Andy closed his eyes, trying to think about anything other than his life now. He wondered how Ian was. Did his friend hate him now?

The thought stung him. Ian hadn't hated mutants, per say, but neither had he had any sympathy for them. What about his teachers, his classmates? It was a generally agreed-upon rule that political talk about mutants was something teachers did not discuss with students or on school grounds at all, and they expected students to do the same. So Andy didn't know how they'd react.

He wished he didn't have powers, not if they made all this happen. He wished he could just give them back to whatever decided he should have them. He wished none of this had happened.

* * *

 It was night when they pulled up to the facility, wherever that was. Reed had briefly went to some bar place to discuss something with one of the mutants that was going to help them. Then, after another change of vehicles, switching the truck in favor of a car, they had driven for awhile, before finally arriving here.

Andy looked out the windows, taking in the shadowed structure. He pushed himself up, grimacing when he felt something against his hand. He sighed as he pulled it away, examining it in disgust.

"Where'd you get this car?" Andy asked, breaking the silence. It had bothered him; it made the tension worse. "There's, like, sticky stuff all over."

"Are you serious right now?" Lauren said disbelievingly, sounding short-tempered.

"What?" he protested. "There's like, juice or something. What do you want me to do? I liked the truck better."

"The truck was stolen, dumbass!" Lauren snapped. "Are you brain damaged?"

"You like the car so much, you sit on the sticky part!" Andy fired back, even though her comments stung.

"Fine-!"

"Okay, can we not do this right now?" Caitlin interrupted. "Please?"

They fell silent. Andy turned to look out the window, trying not to show his hurt. It was stupid, he knew, but her comments about him being stupid reminded him painfully of the bullies. He didn't know why it hurt all of the sudden - he and Lauren had fought plenty of times - but he guessed that after the incident, even with a couple days as a buffer, his emotions were still raw.

"We're here." Reed's voice broke into his thoughts.

He parked the car, simply stopping in the middle of the roadway, and stepped out. Andy did the same, looking at the stranger walking forward to meet them both curiously and warily. He didn't look like a mutant, but what else could he be?

"This everyone?" the mutant asked.

"Yeah, we're all here," answered Reed.

The mutant nodded and began leading them away from the car. Andy followed close behind his mom, looking around as he walked. In the shadows, he couldn't see much, but it looked like a lot of gray bricks and steel.

"I want to know what happens now," Caitlin said to the mutant.

"We get everyone supplies - food, water, blankets - then we head down to the border," he explained.

"And you can drive us across?"

" _Policía America's_ all over the roads; you might as well go straight to jail," he explained impatiently. "Now come on."

"We're not going anywhere until I know what's happening to my family!" Caitlin said firmly.

The mutant paused, turning to look at them. "Look," he said, his voice softer, calmer, "we know people down there with… skills. They track for mutants, but we still got tricks they don't know. Mostly, we get people under the wall. Sometimes over, sometimes even through."

"And then, after that?" Reed inquired.

"We get you new names, new IDs," he said. "There are churches, families that can help you…"

The mutant's voice cut off at the sound of distant rustling. They all looked in the direction it was coming from, seeing nothing.

"What? What is it?" Reed asked him.

"Does anyone know you're here?" he said in reply. Andy's fear rose; something was wrong, wasn't it?

"No, we didn't say anything." Andy's father stepped closer to the mutant's side.

"Did you tell someone you were coming?" he pressed, growing angry. "Use a computer? The phone that you called me on?"

"When I called you," Reed replied, "I used a new SIM card. There's no way…"

He was cut off by sirens. Andy took an instinctive step back when he saw cars rounding the corner, heading straight for them. He inhaled sharply in terror; they had found them.

"Looks like they found a way," the mutant said grimly.

They turned back the way they came, but saw more cars blocking the way. Andy narrowed his eyes against the bright headlights and saw men get out.

 _"This is the Sentinel Services,"_ a voice boomed. Andy thought it sounded vaguely familiar - was it one of the agents who had tried to detain him and Lauren? _"Get on the ground. Put your hands on your head. If you try to flee or resist, we will use deadly force."_

 _How is this even legal?_ wondered Andy, a chill running through his body. _Deadly force? I'm not even sixteen yet!_

"Dad, what do we do?" Andy cried, even as he raised his hands to his head. Much as he was scared of what would happen if he surrendered, he was more scared of getting killed.

"There's nothing we can do," the mutant growled angrily.

"There must be something…" Reed protested. "We can talk to them."

"Talk?" the mutant repeated scornfully. "Yeah, no, we're any past that. You have no idea what they have in that car."

Reed ignored him, shouting, "I want to speak to an attorney!"

"That is a bad idea," Andy heard the mutant mutter.

"We will only negotiate if one is provided!" continued Reed.

 _"There will be no negotiations!"_ the agent yelled back. _"Get your asses on the ground now!"_

"We are Americans! We have rights!"

_"You can discuss that with a judge, Mr. Strucker. Right now you need to think about what's best for your family."_

Andy jumped at a loud thump, a small, barely indiscernible whimper escaping his lips. Everybody spun toward the sound, where a large door locked in chains was.

"Dad?" Lauren cried fearfully.

The chains snapped, and the door banged open. Two people stood there, both likely mutants. One was a man, the other a woman.

"Come on!" shouted the man.

"Go! Go, now!" yelled the original mutant, the one who had met with them.

"Go go go!" exclaimed Reed.

All five of them ran for the doors, where the two people waited. They followed them down hallways, racing through the facility.

"They're coming!" the man suddenly yelled. He waved an arm to the right. "That way! Go! To the hallway!"

Their path curved as they followed his directions. Andy grunted as he suddenly tripped, falling and ending up on his back.

"Get up!" someone screamed at him.

"Go!" the man shouted, as Caitlin helped him scramble back up.

They quickly raced onwards, following the woman who had arrived with the second man. Some spider-like things rolled after them, their electronic chittering filling the air. Suddenly, the group slid to a halt when they saw one hanging from the ceiling, right in front of them. Lauren shrieked.

"Go. Go! Go!"

They ran, but the only other way was through a thick metal door. They slammed against it, but it easily held.

"Watch out," the second man warned. He began to punch it repeatedly, his fists leaving dents in the metal. Behind them, the first mutant let out glowing beams of light that stopped the machine's forward movement but didn't destroy it.

Andy backed away from it, eyes wide. His eyes got even wider, his terror even deeper, when he saw a dozen red lights appear in the darkness - there were more of them!

"They're on the other side," the second man said. "They're on the other side!"

"Here they come!" the first mutant yelled. He grunted as they leaped for him, his beams darting from one to the next and back again, when they began to rise from his attack.

Lauren thrust her hands forward, blocking one that he had missed from getting him. Andy wanted to help, but so far when he used his powers, the destruction ended up spiraling out of control. What if he brought the building down on their heads?

"Clarice, you've got to get us out of here!" Andy heard the second man instruct.

"What do you mean?" said the woman - Clarice - fearfully.

"You got yourself out of the prison, you can get us out of here!"

"No, it's different. I can't see where I'm going. It's too dangerous!"

"All right, well, we will die if we stay here, so can you please just do it!" exclaimed the first man.

Lauren grunted as more of the machines launched an attack. "They're getting through!"

Andy looked down at his hands. He had to help. Consequences be damned. He clenched his fists, reached for his power. It was becoming easier to harness it, to open the gateways and let it through. People were speaking in the background, but he wasn't paying attention. All his focus was on his power. He thought about the vending machine, about the anger and fear. He thought about the feeling of power. And he could feel his own power, ready to be used.

As he unlocked it, he could feel the things around here, in an abstract way. He could sense objects, sense the bonds holding the molecules together. And he knew that he could rip it apart. It was… incredible, so much more than what he had felt in the gym. His control was shaky at best, but Andy knew without a doubt that at least he could do _something_ now.

As the others leaped through a glowing portal - wait, when had _that_ appeared? He dismissed it; his concentration had to be the power. His hands lifted, his shaking fists slowly unclenching, and he reached for the machines. He bared his teeth and yelled as he poured his power into them, shaking apart the bonds, ripping them into pieces.

Andy's eyes widened when they fell apart before his eyes. Before he had time to think on it, at what he'd done, someone pulled him through the portal.

He landed with a thump, sprawling onto the floor. Groaning, he pushed himself up - and heard a gunshot.

Andy spun around and saw his father fall back, a look of shock spreading across his face. Lauren and Caitlin screamed.

"Dad!" he cried.

"I can't hold it!" the woman screamed.

"Dad!" he yelled again, just as the portal closed and the woman collapsed. His dad disappeared. _"No!"_

As quietude fell over the group, the skittering of the machines and yelling of the agents, Andy stared at where his dad had been, just a second ago. His lip trembled, distraught with horror, tears threatening to break out and slide down his face.

"No," Caitlin sobbed. "No."

* * *

**_END OF EPISODE ONE: eXposed_ **


End file.
